Course program
Course contents vary on a yearly basis. The list reported below includes the core topics treated during the course.
Introduction to the course
Historical perspective and surgical systems overview
Classification of surgical systems supported by robots
Kinematic design of medical robots
Control
Control modalities of medical robots vs their domain of use
Physical interaction control: basic principles and case studies
Shared control and virtual fixtures
Virtual fixtures: examples of application
Constrained manipulation and constrained targeting: task control with Remote Center of Motion (RCM) constraint
Teleoperation 1: general principles
Teleoperation 2: the 4-channel architecture, transparency and stability
Visual servoing: concept and mathematical formulation for monocular cameras
Visual servoing for medical procedures assisted by robots
Principles of medical imaging (ultrasound, TC, MR)
Applications of visual servoing
autonomous retrieval and positioning of surgical tools
3D ultrasound-guided needle steering
Optimization of Ultrasound Image Quality via Visual Servoing
Automatic Tracking of an Organ Section with US
Haptics
Introduction to haptics
Haptic rendering
Case study: needle-tissue interaction force identification and haptic rendering in teleoperated needle insertion
Robot registration
Introduction and formulation of the problem
Case study: robot registration in a robot-assisted superficial hyperthermia system
Exoskeletons and biomechanics of walking
Exoskeletons: introductory concepts and examples
Human gait analysis
Case study: comparative gait analysis on twins for childrens affected by celebral palsy
Simulation tools
the da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK) kinematic simulator
the dVRK dynamic simulator
visuo-haptic interaction with virtual patients
Safety
General concepts
Synthetic description of the IEC 80601-2-77 (safety of robotically assisted surgical equipment and systems)
European Regulation on Medical Devices
The AI act and the healthcare technologies
Integration of AI methods
Temperature estimation of internal body targets from superficial measurements
Simulation of deformable structures
Hands-on sessions decided yearly
Prerequisites
Control of linear dynamic systems.
Books
Scientific papers and slides prepared by the instructor.
Teaching mode
Traditional lectures illustrate the methodological bases of the course topics. The application of the methodologies is illustrated through case studies and the nalysis of systems in use in clinical practice. Multiple choice tests are periodically proposed in the Sapienza e-learning environment for a quick check of the acquired knowledge.
Frequency
Not mandatory.
Exam mode
The exam consists in the preparation of a project in groups of three students or, in alternative, in a written exam and an oral discussion. The project usually requires programming work.
Lesson mode
Traditional lectures illustrate the methodological bases of the course topics. The application of the methodologies is illustrated through case studies and the nalysis of systems in use in clinical practice. Multiple choice tests are periodically proposed in the Sapienza e-learning environment for a quick check of the acquired knowledge.